We have a rare opportunity to recruit an occupational therapy assistant to join our team in the Mental Health Unit with Chorley Hospital. The successful candidate will work within the OT service alongside a strong multidisciplinary team helping people with acute mental health issues to achieve a successful and timely discharge from hospital. We are looking for someone with a compassionate nature who can communicate successfully with people who have different abilities and presentations. They will be a team-player who can undertake some duties independently and at times act upon their own initiative. Knowledge of social inclusion would be an advantage alongside being able to work to effectively and have excellent workload management skills. Experience of leading groups and working individually with people and using activity to help promote independence would also be a desirable ability.
The occupational therapy team consists of qualified occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants and health and wellbeing workers all of who focus on enabling patients to achieve optimum independence as part of recovering their ordinary lives. The senior staff offer regular clinical, professional and line management supervision as well as opportunities to attend internal and external training. The successful candidate will be working with a friendly team in a brand new clinical environment and have access to good facilities and support from managers.
Occupational therapy aims to improve health and wellbeing through enabling participation in occupation (the activities, roles and routines of everyday life). Occupational therapists recognise that engagement in meaningful occupation can promote good mental health, assist recovery and help people achieve personalised outcomes such as being able to care for themselves, engage in work and leisure activities, and participate within the community.
Timely occupational therapy (assessment and) interventions can: prevent unnecessary hospital admissions; improve wellbeing and patient experience; facilitate early discharge; enable recovery and social inclusion; help people achieve personalised goals; and support adults of working age to retain their jobs or obtain employment.
Working directly with service users for at least 70% of the time, this post holder will support occupational therapists to achieve this aim through supporting the assessment and analyse of strengths and needs, providing interventions, reporting on progress, and supporting service users to care to achieve their personal goals and aspirations.
Service requirements may involve some flexibility of work hours and the post holder is expected to respond to service user need relating to this.
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.
The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.
For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Please see Job Description and Person Specification attached to this vacancy for the full responsibilities of this role
This advert closes on Monday 9 Dec 2024